ABUJA – The House of Representatives has said that media regulators had failed to discharge their regulatory responsibilities of ensuring positive and development political campaigns.
Chairman, House Committee on Information and National Orientation, Rep. Buba Jibril (Kogi-APC), said this at the committee’s interactive meeting with media regulators and owners in Abuja.
Jibril said political campaigners had continued to exploit the media negatively as the polls drew closer.
The lawmaker said media organisations were supposed to be non-partisan, adding that the outfits had become platforms for mudslinging by desperate politicians.
“This situation is highly unhealthy for the nation’s nascent democracy.
“The media, being the watchdog of the society and agenda setters for moulding public opinion, must be seen to be above board both in their reportage and advertorials.
“It is most unfortunate that the regulators have allowed politics of slander in media advertisements to take the centre stage which is now smearing the good image of the country’’, he said.
According to Jibril, “as a committee we have had causes to draw the attention of both operators and regulators on the unfortunate development.
“As can be clearly seen, the development is capable of causing breakdown of law and order and the spread of hatred.’’
However, the Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr Emeka Mba, said the commission had tried to perform its duties.
Mba explained that NBC lacked the legal backing to pre-censor editorial contents of the media houses.
